


Last of Durin's Line I

by corvinadea



Series: Last of Durin's Line [1]
Category: The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Childbirth, Durin Family Feels, Gen, hobbit-kink-meme fill, timeline is off like whoa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-12
Updated: 2013-01-12
Packaged: 2017-11-25 04:04:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/634930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corvinadea/pseuds/corvinadea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a fill (sort of) for the following prompt at the hobbit-kink-meme:</p>
<p>Kíli was born early and had some problems with his health in his childhood. His brother and uncle, after nearly losing him to some illness (or whatever) once, are insanely protective of him. They were hesitant about allowing him to join the quest, leading to Kíli wanting to prove himself capable.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Last of Durin's Line I

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own none of these characters and mean no disrespect or infringement.

     Thorin allowed himself an internal wince as Dis’ pained wails echoed off the walls of the cavern, which they currently occupied and then fell silent as unconsciousness took her. The iron tang of blood filled his nose and fueled the desperation quickly growing inside him. This was not the way of things: She should be attended by the finest healers in his kingdom and an army of female companions armed with the fiercely-guarded secrets of women. Not her exiled king of a brother and his man-at-arms, no matter how loyal. She should be tucked into the same stone and crystal beds on which they had been born, cosseted by fine velvet, soft linen, and warm down. Not laid out on a palette of bedrolls, and straw hastily covered with his winter cloak. She should have been safe inside the carefully-hewn halls of their fathers, inside Erebor. Not inside this dank cave, barely worthy of the name, whose last inhabitants had surely moved on four legs. And he should have been in one of the private family halls, distracting the expectant father and teasing Fili about becoming a big brother. Not crouched in this cave between the last gods-forsaken town and the next with no idea why the babe would not come, meeting Fili’s terrified eyes where he waited at the mouth of the cave. Five-year-old eyes that had watched as his thrice-accursed father jumped to his death, madness giving speed to his legs. The impotent rage that had plagued Thorin since the loss of Erebor welled up anew as he realized that he would more than likely be burying the next of Durin’s line in the hours to come, far away from their home, in a grave that none would know or remember.

  
Thorin’s rage threatened to choke him, when Balin rose from his place between Dis’ legs, draping a threadbare blanket over her as he stood. He motioned for Thorin to follow as he moved towards a pot of water and began to clean bloodstained hands.

  
      “I fear the babe is stuck sideways, caught on the chord. I have been trying to loose it, but my hands are too big and I cannae reach.” There was a desolate air to his chuckle when Thorin began to examine his own hands. “Your hands are far larger than mine, laddie. And we dinna have the surgeon’s tools to hand. We might…” And here his voice caught, unable at first to push the words out. “ We might have to cut into her to save the babe. If it goes on much longer, we shall lose them both.” The words hung in the air like an evil spell and Thorin saw Dis in his mind’s eye. He saw her on the day she was born, just a wriggling mass the nurse had put in his arms, but then her eyes had opened and stared straight into his. He saw her as a small lass, sneaking cakes from his plate with ribbons tied in her hair. He saw her on her wedding day, draped in all the gems she could carry and outshining them all. Thorin did not realize his eyes had filled with tears until he had to blink to focus on Fili’s tug at his breeches. As he knelt to his sister-son’s height, small hands were thrust into his face.

  
     “I have very small hands. I can reach brother. Do not let him cut mama open!” The words poured out like water over falls. Thorin gathered Fili into his arms and looked to Balin over the lad’s head. His mentor simply shrugged. He pressed a kiss to Fili’s golden head and then looked the lad in the eye.

  
    “Do you understand that you will have to reach inside your mother and untangle the babe from the chord? Then you will need to guide the babe’s head down, so he can come out.” Fili’s eyes turned to his mother and were unsure for a moment. Thorin tightened his embrace. “You do not have to do this, small one, no one will be angry.” Fili turned back to his uncle, eyes sure and mouth drawn in a stubborn line.

  
     “Mama says I’m your heir when you reclaim Erebor. That we are the line of Durin and that I must always help you protect our people. I can help mama and brother.” Those blue eyes broke through the darkness inside Thorin and he smiled.

  
     “Of course you can, heir-mine. Let’s wash your hands.”  Thorin stood behind Fili as Balin explained again what must be done and Fili stared at his mother’s body. Before he began though, Fili reached up and smoothed his hand over the mound of his brother.

  
     “I’m coming for you, Kili, get ready.” Carefully, following Balin’s instruction, Fili’s nimble fingers quickly found the chord, removed it, and guided the babe downwards. As if sensing the removal of the impediment, Dis’ body tightened into another contraction and, with Balin massaging the mound of her belly, the babe slid free into Fili and Thorin’s waiting arms. Balin quickly shooed them aside.

  
     “I must see to this bleeding. You get the babe cleaned off and watch his breathing. He is early and there could be problems with his lungs.“ The babe chose that moment to protest, loudly, his state of affairs. Fili tightened his grip and crooned to his brother conspiratorially.

  
     “Hush now, Kili, mama will be fine. Mr. Balin will have her fixed up in no time.” Thorin set them down in front of the fire and rushed to their baggage, searching for clean cloths and blankets. Fili never looked up from the babe, but directed Thorin. “ The baby things are in the pack next to mine, Uncle Thorin.” Thorin allowed himself to hope as the cave filled with Fili’s chatter and Kili’s small gurglings. He stopped, though, as caught Fili’s murmurings. “You are breathing just fine, Kili, but if Mr. Balin says to watch, then watch we will. And it don’t matter none, if you have lung problems. We don’t have our mountain anymore or our papa, but we have mama, and Uncle Thorin, and Mr. Balin, and you have me. We will never let harm come to you. “ Thorin felt the tears as they came this time and let them fall proudly.

  
     After they had cleaned and wrapped and fed the babe, Thorin sat drowsily with both boys nestled in his lap. As Balin finally made his way over to the fire, both Thorin and Fili perked up expectantly.

  
     “She is well, lads. We will have to linger here for a while, but the bleeding has stopped and she even woke for a few minutes. Wanted us to know that the babe’s name is Kili.” Balin took a long drink from the mug awaiting him, but looked sharply at Fili. “How did you know his name, lad? Or that he would be a he?” Fili shrugged and settled more firmly into the protection of Thorin’s arms.

  
     “He told me in the wagon. At night I wrapped around mama and he whispered to me from her belly. “ He smiled slightly as a small finger traced Kili’s cheek. “That’s how I knew I could save him.” He slipped quietly into sleep.

  
     Balin and Thorin watched them that night, the treasures they had managed to wrestle from a gold-mad dragon, a defiling orc, and an uncaring world. Thorin felt the mantle of King Under the Mountain fall once again onto his shoulders, but for the first time in a long while, it felt like a promise instead of a burden.


End file.
